Ye Yu slowly opened his eyes and shifted his body slightly.
Because he was in an underground building, there was no sound of birds chirping at dawn, nor any sunlight streaming in. The only way to gauge the time was by instinct.
"Only five o'clock?"
He raised his head and glanced at the clock hanging by the door. It seemed he hadn't slept for long after all.
Still, he didn't feel particularly tired. In this condition, heading straight to the dungeon wouldn't be a problem.
A faint, phosphorescent glow flickered from some unknown device embedded in the ceiling—most likely a magical artifact. Thanks to it, the room wasn't engulfed in complete darkness, allowing visibility with the naked eye despite being underground.
As he tried to get up, Ye Yu noticed something odd—something round and soft was pressing against his body under the sheets.
Because it was so light, he hadn't noticed it right away.
It was the second time they had slept together, but compared to the last time, the girl's sleeping posture was much worse. Amused, Ye Yu lifted the blanket and saw the sleeping goddess, Hestia, with her face nestled peacefully against his chest.
Her posture was that of someone clinging for safety, and the sight tugged at Ye Yu's heart. He could easily get up without waking her, but strangely, he didn't feel like letting go of this warm and comforting presence.
After all, this was a genuine goddess-grade hug pillow.
He allowed himself a brief moment to enjoy the warmth of her body in his arms before slowly beginning to extract himself.
Just as their bodies began to part, Hestia let out a soft "Mmm…" in her sleep and shifted closer, rubbing her cheek against his chest like a spoiled child.
"You really are clingy, aren't you..."
With a gentle smile, Ye Yu lightly pressed his forehead against her soft cheek before quietly slipping out of the bed and leaving the room in silence.
"Geez… I told you not to treat me like a child all the time... Ye Yu, you big idiot."
Her sigh melted into the chill of the early morning air as Hestia curled up and burrowed deeper into the warm covers.
She could still faintly smell Ye Yu's scent lingering in the sheets. Feeling reassured, she closed her eyes again.
"You better come back safe… okay?"
Ye Yu walked alone through the main street, which felt different from usual. The normally lively boulevard was now quiet and spacious, giving off a serene emptiness.
The stone buildings that lined both sides of the road had their shutters closed. The eastern sky was already bright, and though it was early, signs of life were emerging.
Some hobbits were preparing to open their shops, and a few dwarves—likely fellow adventurers—were gathered, forming parties and chatting about their plans to enter the dungeon.
But unlike those typical adventurers, Ye Yu's appearance didn't draw attention at all. He wore no armor—essential equipment for any adventurer—and in his hand, he carried what looked like a grocery basket.
It was the basket Syr had given him the day before. Since he was passing by, he figured he might as well return it.
As he approached the tavern from last night, he saw Syr moving tables and chairs outside in preparation for opening. Upon spotting Ye Yu, her expression revealed a moment of surprise.
"Heading to the dungeon this early, Mister Adventurer?"
Taking the empty basket from him, Syr asked with a curious tone.
"Yeah. I need to earn money as soon as I can—so I can repay your kindness," Ye Yu replied with a rare hint of humor.
It was his first time speaking to someone other than Hestia in such a lighthearted manner.
"Well, your attitude is certainly better than last night's," Syr said, smiling. "But if you're going to joke, you should at least smile a little. It's not a deadpan comedy routine, you know."
Despite her teasing, Syr found herself smiling at Ye Yu's unchanging expression.
"Hmm… Was I not smiling?" Ye Yu said, touching his own face with a serious look that made Syr chuckle again.
"Wait here for a second," she said, taking the basket and disappearing inside the shop.
A moment later, she returned with the same basket—now filled to the brim with delicate little pastries.
"You woke up this early—bet you haven't eaten yet, right?"
"Eh…?"
"Don't be shy. We're friends now, aren't we?"
"Friends, huh…?" Ye Yu murmured to himself, but the corners of his mouth instinctively lifted. Syr, watching him, lit up like she had just discovered a new treasure.
"Oh my, so you can smile! And it's a very nice smile, you know? You should do it more often, Mister Adventurer."
"Just call me Ye Yu."
"Ah, ah… I guess I'm the one being too formal now. Good luck today too, Ye Yu-kun."
With a soft laugh, Syr offered her encouragement before turning and heading back inside to continue her work.
Since it was still quite early, there were barely any people around the dungeon entrance. Even the first floor, which was usually bustling, felt utterly deserted.
With things this quiet… I should be able to run into some monsters, right?
But Ye Yu was destined for disappointment. Even though there were hardly any other adventurers on the first floor, he wandered around aimlessly for quite some time and still didn't encounter a single monster.
As more and more adventurers began to arrive, Ye Yu started to grow visibly agitated.
What exactly is going on…? Why can't I run into a single monster?
The Dungeon—this massive underground labyrinth—had always been shrouded in mystery.
According to the knowledge Eina had shared with Ye Yu, the Dungeon had existed long before the descent of the gods to the mortal world. It was the only known dungeon of its kind, and legends even claimed that the deepest levels led to hell, or perhaps the demon realm itself. The gods seemed to know more than they let on, but they weren't exactly keen on sharing their secrets.
"A dungeon is just a dungeon. There's no need to search for meaning inside it."
That was something the gods often said with a cryptic smile, as if hinting at truths they refused to speak aloud.
From his conversations with Eina, Ye Yu had also learned something incredible—the Dungeon was alive.
Of course, that didn't mean grotesque walls of flesh suddenly lashed out at adventurers, and the layout of each floor didn't randomly change. In fact, once a floor had been explored and mapped, those maps could be sold to the Guild. That said, the deeper the floor, the more impossibly vast the area became—many levels had never been fully mapped.
One of the Dungeon's most bizarre traits was its ability to heal.
The structure of the Dungeon would gradually repair itself if damaged. It was said to be made of a material either derived from or related to magic stones, though even now, scholars hadn't fully deciphered its composition—only the observable phenomena.
And because this material was similar to magic stone, the Dungeon remained well-lit even without sunlight. Especially on the first floor, the ceiling gave off a gentle phosphorescence, like some kind of natural illumination. It was absurdly bright, no matter the time of day.
As for the monsters… they were like the very offspring of the Dungeon itself.
It sounded like a joke, but it was true—they emerged from the Dungeon walls, breaking out like chicks from eggs. Many adventurers had witnessed the scene firsthand. That was the reason why, no matter how many monsters were slain, more would always appear.
But then why—after all this time—had Ye Yu never once witnessed the birth of a monster?